Knee-action supply-fixture for lavatories.



.No. 853,726.` BATBN'TED Mu 14, 1907.

w. G. NEWTON. 'KNEE AoTIoN SUPPLY FIXTURE. FOR LAVATORIBS.

-A'PPLIOATlON FILED 113.26, 1907.

'y Ee am 'THE NoRRIs Ermes ca.. wnsnmurolv, n. c.

'WILLIAM e. NEWTON, oE NEW PECK BROS. & CO., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGN OR TO THE HAVEN, CONECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

KNEE-ACTION SUPPLY-FIXTURE FOR LAVATORIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1907.

Application iiled February 25, 1907. Serial No. 359,299.

T all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. NEWTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New I-Iaven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Knee-Action Supply-Fixtures for Lavatories; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1 a broken view in front elevation showing a washbowl provided with my improved knee-action supply fixture. Fig. 2 a detached view of the fixture partly in rear elevation and partly in vertical section, and shown with its hot and cold water valves closed. Fig. 3 a corresponding view showing the cold water valve open. Fig. 4 a corresponding view with the hot water valve open, and the cold water valve partly closed. Fig. 5 a detached view of the device partly in plan and partly in horizontal section. Fig. 6 a broken view in vertical section, showing the connection between the shank of the kneelever and the operating slide. Fig. 7 la detached view in rear elevation of the valvecasing, showing the inlet ports and the outlet ort. p My invention relates to an improvement in knee-action supply iixtures for hospital lava# tories and the like, the object being to prouce a simple and convenient device adapted l to be operated by the knees rather than by the hands of the user, the usual cold and hot water faucets being dispensed with and the contamination of the fixture by septic hands being avoided.

With these ends in view my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be hereinafter described and pointed l out in the claims.

In carrying out 'my invention as herein shown, I employ a handle-like porcelain knee-lever 2 mounted in a socket 3 at the outer end of a shank 4 passing through a horizontal slot 5 in a chambered fixture-body 6 formed with horizontal lugs 7 by which it is bolted to the bottom of a wash bowl 8 to which cold or tempered water is supplied through a fiXed dummy spout 9. The said l shank 4 passes through a rod-like operating 'slide 10 located within the said body 6 and bearing at its ends in the end walls thereof, the shank being formed with a shoulder 4a and threaded for the reception of a binding nut 4b, whereby the shank is rigidly secured to the slide.

An antiefriction roller 11 turning upon the projecting inner end of the shank 4 and re tained in place thereupon by a screw 12 rides upon the bearing edge 13 of the body 6 and upon the upper edge of a horizontal bar 14 removably attached by screws 15 to the open innerface of the body lthe end walls of which are formed with screw holes 16 for the receptlon of the screws 15. The said operating slide 10 is furnished with a depending cold water cam 17 and a hot water cam 18 respectively coacting with a c old water lever 19 and a hot water lever 20 pivotally mounted within the lower portion of the body 6 in position to coact respectively with the upwardly projecting ends of valve stems 21 and 22 mounted in a valve casing 23 fastened by screws 24 to the lower face of the body 6.

The spindles 21 and 22 have bearing at their upper ends in the upper wall of the casing and pass upward through nut-like glands 25 and through packing material 26 held in place by the glands, the anged upper portions of which enter clearance spaces 27 in the lower face of the body 6. The said valvecasing 23 is divided by suitable partitions 23EL and 23b into three compartments, namely, a mixing chamber 28, a cold water chamber 29 and a hot water chamber 30. The chamber 29 is formed in its inner wall with an inlet port 31 through which cold water is introduced to it, the chamber with a corresponding inlet 32 through which hot water is introduced into it and the chamber 28 with an outlet port 33 connected with-the dummy spout already mentioned.

The spindle 21 carries a cold water valve 34 coacting with an annular rib-like valve seat 35 upon the lower face of thehorizontal partition 23a means of coiled spring The lower end of the spindle ing in a 21 has bearguide-stem 38 formed upon a nut 39 closing a threaded opening 40 in the bottom of the valvecasing from which the stem 21 and spring 37 may be removed by removing in the valve-casing, the valve 34 IOO the said nut. The spindle 21 is formed as shown with radial webs 41 which guide the spindle as it plays up and down in the port .42 through which the cold water Hows from the cold water valve chamber 29 into the mixing chamber 2S. spindle 22 carries an adjustable hot-water valve 43 normally closing the port 44 in the partition 23a and eoacting with an annular rib-like valve-seat I45 against which it is held by a coiled spring 46, the lower end of the spindle being entered into and guided in a hollow stem 47 carried by a nut 48 entered into a hole 49 in the bottom of the valve-casing 23. The spindle 22 is also furnished with radial ribs 50 which play up and down in the port 44 and guide it.

In order to control the amount of cold water passing into the mixing chamber 2S from the cold water chamber 29, l. employ an adjustable tapering plug` 51 mounted upon the spindle 21 of the cold water valve 34 and held in any means of a nut 52, this plug entered into the cold water port 41 so as to partially shut oll the entrance of cold water into the mixing chamber 2S, by means oi' a supplemental cold water cam 17 l formed upon the cold water cam 17.

Normally the several parts of my improved fixture occupy the positions shown in Fig. 2, bothvalves being closed, being in close proximity to the cold water valve cam 17. To turn on the cold water, the user uses his knee to push the knee-lever 2 from right to whereby the operating-slide 10 will be correspondingly moved trom right to left. During this movement the cam 17 will depress the lever 19 into the position shown in Fig. 3, depressing` the spindle 21 and opening the cold water valve 34. Cold water will thus be admitted into the mixing chamber 28 and supplied from the spout 9. The described movement of the slide also brings the rise of the hot-water cam 18 into close proximity to the end et the hot-water lever 20.

To temper the water delivered by the spout 9, the lever 2 is moved from right to left enough more to bring the said cam 1i into play for depressing the lever 2O and hence depressing the spindle 22 and opening the hot-water valve 43, admitting hot water into the mixing chamber 28 in which it will be commingled with the cold water, the tempered water being delivered from the spout 9. ln case the water is not warm enough, the user presses the knee-lever 2 from right to left to the limit of' such movement, thus bringing the supplemental cold water cam 17 a into play for depressing the spindle 21 so as to bring its plug 51 into action `Jfor partially closing the cold water valve port 41, whereby the iow of cold water is partially checked. Hot water will now be being parti ally The corresponding' desired position of adjustment by and the lever 19 t left for a short distance,I

supplied to the mixing chamber 2S in excess of cold water and the water delivered l'rom the spout 9 will be hotter than belore but not scalding hot as it is desirable that under no conditions shall the lixture deliver scalding water to the spout.

lt will thus be seen that without using either hand, but by the knees alone the lixture may be operated to deliver to the bowl either cold water or hot water ol.- two temperatures. The temperature ol the hotter water delivered will depend upon the use to which the Vlixture is put, and may be regulated by changing the position ol the. plug 5l upon the cold water spindle 21 which may readily be removed from the lixture lor the purpose. By making the valve-easing readily removable trom the liXture-body, the glands may be removed and the packing replaced without removing the body l'rom the bowl to which it should be irmly bolted or otherwise secured. ln this way the valves and their zmpurtenances may be given any required. attention without disturbing the tixture-body and its longitudinally movable slide.

l. ln a knee-action water-supply 'lixture for lavatories, the combination with an operating slide, of a knee-lever tor the operation thereoi", valves providedr with valve spindles, and levers for coaction with the said spindles arranged to be operated by the said slide.'

2. ln a knee-action water-supply lixture for lavatories, the combination with an operating-slide, ot a knee-lever ["or operating the said slide, hot and cold water valves, spindles Jfor the said valves, levers lor operating the said spindles, and cams located upon the said slide for coaction with the said levers.

3. In a knee-action utter-supply tixture for lavatories, the combination with an operating-slide, a knee-lever lor the operation thereof, hot and cold water valves, spindles therefor, a cut-oil plug mounted upon the spindle of the cold water valve, levers operated by the slide and eoacting with the said spindles, and cams carried by the slide for eoaction with the said levers, including a snpplemental cold water cam.

4. ln a knee-action water-s1ipply fixture for lavatories, the combination with an operating-slide, of a knee-lover connected therewith for operating the same, an antit'rieti m roller for the slide, hot and cold water valves, spindles i'or the said valves, and connection between the said spindles and slide. for the operation of the former.

5. ln a knee-action water-supply Iixture for lavatories, the combination with a ehambered body, of an operating slide mounted therein for horizontal movement, a kneelever entering the said body and connected vwith the said slide, a valve-easing applied to the said body, valve-spindles mounted in the lOO - roller, bearings said casing, valves carried by the said spindles, and levers pivotally mounted in the body and operated 'upon by the said slide for working the said spindles.

6. In a knee-action water-supply fixture for lavatories, the combination with a body,

operation of the said levers,

7. In a knee-action watensupply iiXtnre for lavatories, the combination with a fixture-body, of a longiti dinally movable Slide located therein, a knee-lever connected with the said slide for operating the saine, a valveland cams located upon the said slide for the casing adapted to be removably attached to the said fixture, valves located in the said casing, and means interposed between the slide and the valves for operating the latter by the forn'ler.

S. In a knee-action water-supply iixture,

the combination with the fixture-body, of a loi'igitudinally lnovable slide located therein, a knee-lever connected with the said slide for and valves carried by the said spindles.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM G. NEWTON. Witnesses:

T. S. COLEMAN, ERVING A. WRIGHT. 

